Ford's Full Year 2011 Worldwide Sales Breakdown
Focus in a strong 1st place
www.fordinsidenews.com
February 13, 2012
By: Austin Rutherford

2011 turned into a mediocre year for Ford globally as not many new products debuted as with the past few years. Sales were however up nearly 400,000 units over 2010 on a worldwide basis. Headwinds caused by the Euro crisis and flooding in Thailand hurt sales later in the year.

The biggest debut by far this year was the third generation Focus that launched into Europe, North America, and other smaller regions. Other smaller debuts were the new Cargo, Territory, and new engines for the Explorer, Edge, and F-150.

North America

US sales for the Ford brand made it the best selling brand in the country and passed the 2 million mark for the first time in several years. Sales were largely improved due to the Explorer, Fusion, Escape, and F-Series trucks.

Canadian sales did not see the large gains that they had seen in recent years as Ford’s domestic competitors regained traction following their bankruptcies. However, Ford was able to keep themselves as the nation’s largest seller of... [Read More]

Ford Motor Company U.S. Sales Increase 7 Percent in January; Focus, Escape, Explorer Drive Growth
Ford Media

• Ford Motor Company U.S. sales in January totaled 136,710 vehicles, a 7 percent gain compared with January 2011; retail sales increased 8 percent
• Focus contributed to 30 percent of Ford Motor Company sales growth in January, more than any other vehicle in the Ford product lineup. Focus sales were 14,400 vehicles, up 60 percent – the best January Focus sales performance since 2003
• F-Series sales of 38,493 vehicles, up 8 percent. Ford has more than 75 percent share of the retail V6 full-size pickup market and most fuel-efficient full line of pickups on the market

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 1, 2012 – Ford Motor Company U.S. sales totaled 136,710 vehicles in January, a 7 percent increase versus year-old levels. The Ford brand totaled 131,589 vehicles in January, making it the best January sales month for the Ford brand since 2008.

“January started off with solid sales versus year-ago levels,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Ford saw the same solid month, with... [Read More]

Many still assert the brand must have some RWD to succeed.
www.FordInsideNews.com
January 30, 2012
By: Nick Saporito

With Lincoln's renaissance now in the works, everyone seems to have an opinion as to which products the luxury brand should receive. Most specifically, the topic of rear-wheel drive continues to arise with discussion on both sides of the argument. During the recent Detroit auto show--where Lincoln's new direction was arguably set with the MKZ Concept--many within the media were heard trumpeting that Lincoln cannot successfully tackle the luxury market without the "price of entry" of having at least a couple of cars driven by the rear wheels.

Lincoln has made their direction fairly clear. They want their vehicles to be the best of both luxury worlds; a cushy ride like a Lexus, with drive qualities that rival Germany's best. Thanks to new technologies such as active suspensions, that direction is not entirely infeasible for Lincoln. Though any enthusiast knows that physics is going to defy Lincoln from truly driving like a BMW without a rear-wheel drive... [Read More]